Dianne Feinstein Signs on to public option push

[Seedersandleechers]

Source: Huffington Post



Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) became the 11th Senator to sign on to a new effort by Democrats to press Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to pass a public option for insurance coverage using reconciliation, her office confirmed to the Huffington Post on Wednesday.

The California Democrat joins a list of mostly progressive members to offer her late-stage support for the government run plan. In a letter to Reid on Tuesday a quartet of Democrats penned urged Reid to pass the proposal through parliamentary procedures that allow a simple up-or-down vote.


Yes!!!



Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/17/dianne-feinstein-signs-on_n_466435.html

[dhill926]

1. wow....kind of surprising.......

Barb, are you next?

[defendandprotect]

44. Second that one . . . surprise!

[blue neen]

2. Go Senator Feinstein!

K&R!

[lordcommander]

3. DiFi???!!!!!

K&R

[calimary]

5. Truly. So unlike her.

[Sub Atomic]

17. Has her husband switched industries?

Or is he still a defense contractor sucking on the government teat?

[IndianaGreen]

20. I don't trust her at all!

What kind of damage can she cause by co-sponsoring the measure? Can she table it?

[icee]

67. Diane Feinstein signing on assures the PO here will not become a

reality. On occasion, there are opportunities for Senators to take positions just to give the appearance of being concerned and compassionate. This, imo, is one of those opportunities. She basically jumped the shark. Harry Reid is not going to injure any of his insurance-funded pension immediately prior to his ouster.

[dgibby]

77. Thanks. I was just about to post the same thing.

Harry is much too timid to use reconciliation. It might upset the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

[Captain Hilts]

74. She runs hot and cold. You can't outguess her. nt

[Stumbler]

34. Agreed.

Really??

[jeff47]

88. She's using it for political cover

She expects this to go nowhere. But when it comes time for her next re-election campaign, she can point to this to shore up her left flank.

DiFi has always been about DiFi, and how she can gain the most politically. This has an up-side on her left flank, and since it won't actually happen she sees no downside.

[wryter2000]

91. My jaw hit the desk

I'm with you. DIFI???!!

[bemildred]

4. That is big. nt

[damonm]

6. Good on You, DiFi! Seems my call wasn't wasted...

[flamingdem]

51. +1`

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. Good news!

Maybe she's seeing the proverbial handwriting on the wall?

We can hope...

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. Single-Payer would be better...

...but this is a start.

K&R

[JDPriestly]

31. Single payer would be better, but a public option will help bring down

the overhead costs and help make the insurance more affordable for many people and for the government that will have to pay for those who do not earn enough to pay for their own insurance. This is great news.

[CatWoman]

9. Elizabeth!!! I'm coming Honey!!!

[Chef Eric]

22. Thanks for making me LOL! nt

[Jackpine Radical]

79. OMG

:rofl:

I can always rely on you to crack me up.

Do you want to see the results of your handiwork?:

[yurbud]

10. that's great news!

[Chemisse]

11. Can this get anywhere?

What about the loss of a supermajority?

[dgibby]

78. We don't need a supermajority.

It would pass through reconcilation, that is if Harry Reid has the cajones to use it.

[elehhhhna]

12. we must beg our own guy for an "up or down" vote. Nauseating.

[alittlelark]

13. I'm one of the ppl that called her office this morning.

:party:

[Mojambo]

14. Bit surprising.

This could draw a few more unlikely names onto the list...

[Little Star]

15. Wow this is getting interesting! k&r

[DisgustedInMN]

16. Nice..

.. this is gaining momentum. Should be a landslide by this time tomorrow.

Take that, "bluedog" assholes and your POS buddy LIEberman too.

:applause:

[Grassy Knoll]

18. This is DF from the late 60's in SF....the good old dayz.

[proud patriot]

19. Well I'll be a monkeys uncle

:wow:

[WhiteTara]

21. THis is HUGH!

It might have some weight and move the process! WOO HOO DiFi!

[Kablooie]

23. Nice but they need 51 and Harry Reid needs to act fast and not waffle.

Neither is very likely, I'm afraid.


And I'm about to lose my insurance and have to buy Cobra for 14,000 a year.
After Cobra I probably won't be able to get any insurance at all due to a pre-existing condition.

And of course the price goes up so much just because you have no income.

Rah, rah America. Go team go.

Damn it.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

24. I'll believe it when I hear it from the horses mouth

[CatWoman]

25. Olbermann pretty much verified it

[O is 44]

26. I hope Boxer does real soon too. n/t

[stopbush]

64. Yes, where is our junior Senator on this?

Californians overwhelmingly support a public option. In fact, the State Legislature is trying once again to pass a form of it (which Ah-nold has yet again promised to veto, reneging on his promise to sign it if it ever came around again).

Boxer is supposedly in a Senate race that is heating up. What better bludgeon to go after her R opponent with this Nov than supporting the passage of a PO?

[YvonneCa]

27. This is FANTASTIC! Thank you SO much to my...

...Senator! Now...on to Boxer... :7

[tomm2thumbs]

28. I remember her 'expressing support' for the public option back in 2009

the difference between 'supporting it' and 'fighting for it' - now there's the rub

[name not needed]

29. Wow! Who knew she had a spine?

[Jefferson23]

30. Something is definitely up if she signed on. K&R for the 11th Senator!

[LaPera]

32. Now come on Boxer!

[lonestarnot]

33. WTF!???

Did she get something?

[Guilded Lilly]

35. Let's go let's go let's go let's GOOOOOOO

GET IT DONE!!!!

[sledgehammer]

36. Great. But where were all these Senators a few months back?

I have to think that Scott Brown's victory has made them finally realize that they are alienating their base and they could lose their seats.

It's about time!

[wisteria]

37. I am pleasantly surprised. n/t

[AsahinaKimi]

38. Just wow....

And here I thought she was leaning towards being the next Joe Lieberman. Maybe she had some flashback memories of the days when she was Mayor Of San Francisco..and had been well liked.

[bluestateguy]

39. That. Is a surprise.

I must say.

[David Zephyr]

40. This is a legacy move by Dianne. It's the right move and she deserves praise for this.

And because of Dianne's stature among the moderate wing, this could really be a ground moving moment.

Dianne's move will help make others take the big step.

I don't see how this can be minimized.

[Captain Hilts]

75. Yes. This is a Very Big Deal. nt

[No Elephants]

41. *rubs eyes*

[alp227]

42. As a Californian, I applaud Sen. Feinstein

for stepping up and speaking out for reform that'll help many Americans and save money for the government too.

[Hekate]

43. Well thank you Madame Senator!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[Stardust]

45. I emailed her kudos (after I picked myself up off the floor.) I can't

recall anything she's ever done to impress me, but this is huge. :loveya:

[Bette Noir]

46. Good on Dianne. She's usually on the conservative side.

Last spring she was arguing against the public option, trying to angle for the kind of pork that Landrieu got.

On the other hand, she answered my letters with real letters, not form letters. She may have gotten thousands like them.

[bluesmail]

47. Must be a typo. EOM

[Suji to Seoul]

48. who are the other ten? Kerry, Sanders, Brown, Whitehead, Bennett, Burris. . .?

who else?

[t0dd]

66. here

http://whipcongress.com/

It's Whitehouse not Whitehead.
And the rest: Franken, Gillibrand, Leahy, and Merkley.

[Divine Discontent]

49. suprising, but one thing about this ol' girl is that she knows when the end game is near.

She apparently is more liberal than most of us thought. She knows this kicks it up a big notch with her support at the right time to make it a very arguable need for the country.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

50. This thing is gaining momentum

[FourScore]

52. I am shocked. Way to go DiFi!!! k/r

[janet118]

53. Thank you, Sen. Feinstein!!!

Now get some 40 more of your colleagues to sign on and make this so. I truly believe that once the Democratic Congress passes something that actually helps people and proves that they can get things moving again - we will have no trouble getting more Democrats elected.

Show your stuff!!!! Break the gridlock.

[NBachers]

54. Maybe now they'll start using some o' that powder they've been keeping dry

You could knock me over with a feather, but I'll give DiFi credit where it's due.

C'mon, Barbara- you're next!

[grahamhgreen]

55. I guess we put the fear of the electorate into them! Good job all!!!

[mrdmk]

56. About time, I have written to her about this subject several times! n/t

:)

[Aramchek]

57. that is a sign that this might really happen

:)

[pundaint]

58. Can anybody tell me if insurance companies will be involved in this public option approach?

I have not been able to get details, and Sen Kerry's office couldn't tell me.

[krispos42]

59. What the hell?

I thought this was extinct!

[deacon]

60. She finally did something right. I just wrote Boxer and told her to do the same. n/t

[emsimon33]

61. That's a shocker. Guess her husband isn't into making $$ from

health care as he is from war.

[Enthusiast]

62. I won't say a word. nt

[Wetzelbill]

63. I am shocked this is getting traction

nt

[Autonomy]

65. This is like kudzu

It's going places.

[DeSwiss]

68. K&R

- Whatever it takes.....

[NorthCarolina]

69. Is this just Late-Game "Face Time" for a PO that they know will never happen? nt

[Vidar]

70. Good for her.

[OnionPatch]

71. I just woke up.....I think.

Am I dreaming?

[freddie mertz]

72. Amazing and hard to believe.

Maybe there is a chance yet.

Anyone heard from the president?

[harun]

73. WOW

[karmkay]

76. public option

this sounds like it's getting legs. Yea!!!

[Deep13]

80. Hmmmm.

[LoKnLoD]

81. Unfortunately...even if

Unfortunately...even if they got 51 sigs on this Reid won't do shit to rock the boat in the Senate. He's worthless.

[Flying Dream Blues]

82. K&R

[colsohlibgal]

83. Now That's Shocking

Maybe someone performed an exorcism on her, or sprayed her with anti tool spray. This is startling, I wouldn't be more surprised if Jimmy Hoffa was found alive, but still it's a good thing.

[senseandsensibility]

84. And Boxer hasn't?

Is that correct? We're in bizarro world, but good for her.

[tabbycat31]

86. according to the latest she has

www.whipcongress.com has the latest

[senseandsensibility]

87. Thanks

I'm her constituent, and now I won't have to fire off an angry e-mail. I love Boxer.:-)

[w4rma]

85. Boo-yaa! Props to Feinstein! We're building up steam, now. (nt)

[bc3000]

89. It looks like we have a new democratic litmus test

I welcome it. It should be part of the democratic platform and we should work to defeat those who do not support it in our primaries.

[PruneJuiceMedia]

90. PruneJuiceMedia.com - We're up to 16 Senators now...

I blogged about this today at Prune Juice Media, my sarcastic politics blog. Here's the post: http://www.prunejuicemedia.com/?p=876

We are up to 16 Senators now, I think. Hopefully, this thing can gain some real steam. The American people NEED this like yesterday!!!

Why didn't they do this before today??? Anybody have any idea?

[AllyCat]

92. DiFi, a progressive? Hmmm...this looks fishy to me.

[Shining Jack]

93. Recommended.

I hope it goes somewhere but I won't hold my breath.

[musiclawyer]

94. Maybe the light bulb went on

Maybe all the chiefs of staff and deputies are watching Rachel Maddow, and they are resonating at the same clear frequenmcey such that even their bosses recognize that there is only one way out of this mess--bartisan and with 51 , and in that case, just do what's right an what's popular